#21 - The Here and Now by Ann Breshares

Many thanks go out to Netgalley, Random House Children's and Ann Brashares for the advanced reader copy of "The Here and Now"

First and foremost, if you are planning to pick up this novel purely because you are in love with the Travelling Pants, stop and evaluate.  This is not the Travelling Pants series.  That analogy is like telling you to pick up Stephanie Meyer's "The Host" because you are a fan of "Twilight".  Trust me kids, this is apples and oranges.

Second, please read this book with the audience in mind.  The publisher is Random House Children's and it is definitely framed in a YA mindset.  Unlike some of the other successful crossovers in the Dystopian YA genre like Divergent or Hunger Games, this one is geared more toward the 11-14 year old range.

All that being said, the book itself would be a favorite read of mine when I was 11.  I would have loved the characters and the story behind Prenna's journey and what she was fighting for and against.  The thinness of the plot which is obvious to me now, wouldn't have mattered.  I would have had real emotions in the ending and really felt for the characters.

Reading it with a discerning eye, it's less than stellar, but for the target age and genre range, I felt it was a solid little book.

Goodreads rating: 3 stars

In Progress: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

#20 - Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Group Plume and Rainbow Rowell for allowing me the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I know that this is not the most sophisticated novel that you will read this year but "Attachments" by Rainbow Rowell is one of those stories that makes your heart a little bit lighter at the end, its romance without the sap, it characters with a good heart and real personalities and flaws and proof that storytelling can happen through email chains and abstract ways.

I adored the characters in this novel, Jennifer and Beth could have been me and any number of friends abusing the intraoffice email system to gossip about our own lives.  Lincoln was just a sweet guy with good intentions that believes in love.  Put all together its the kind of love story that all other love stories should look like.  Even just writing this review, 10 days after I read it, is making me smile just a little bit thinking back on it.

Goodreads rating: 5 stars  (not for great literature but for a much needed good feeling)

Read date April 19, 2014

#19 - Big Brother by Lionel Shriver

After last year's reading of "We Need To Talk About Kevin" I was instantly intrigued by the new novel "Big Brother" by Lionel Shriver.  For the most part it did not disappoint however it was a whole lot different than Kevin in some key ways.

First of all I got a huge nerd buzz by reading about a book set in Iowa of all places.  When I was reading, I assumed that Shriver grew up in Iowa, the little touches like the DeVries bakery (I went to summer camp with someone by that name), picking Edison up at the Cedar Rapids airport (I have flown out of that place), and the dutch touches all around the fictional town of New Holland felt like someone who knew Iowa intimately.

The main theme of the book is extremes and the destruction they can inflict on a family.  I was right there along with Pandora during the entire journey.  The theory that "it's easier to be perfect than to be occasionally bad" rang in my mind. I am one of those people for whom it is easier to live on 4 packets of ready mix shakes than to diet and have cheat days.  The scene with Fletcher in the diner when Pandora has obviously lost way too much weight was frighteningly honest and I think more people should be called out on their extreme swings.

And then the last chapter happened.  I know I complain about endings a lot - but seriously - come on - I felt cheap and dirty and used after the last chapter.  I won't give it away because I want you to enjoy every morsel of goodness that happens in the first 300 pages of this novel, please read it, its worth it. Just know its coming.  I'd love to hear what you think of it if you pick it up yourself.

Goodreads rating: 4 stars (solely based on the ending)

Date read: April 18, 2014

#18 - Sycamore Row by John Grisham

Sycamore Row was my office book club pick for the month of April.  I had heard that this was a follow up novel to "A Time to Kill" which featured some of my favorite characters of the John Grisham set of novels so I was cautiously optimistic starting this book.

I'm glad I was cautious.  This is by no means a "sequel" to the first book but it is a continuation of the characters.  Grisham does a good job of making everything fit since the end of the "A Time to Kill" (i.e. living in a rental house since theirs burned, etc). This story, however is completely different than the compelling story of the Carl Lee Haley case.

While I enjoyed it on the whole, when it boils down to it, this is 466 pages of trying to make a will case seem really action packed and interesting. In the end, it didn't quite work for me.  Without giving away any important plot points, the motivation of the main character's actions in creating his hand written will really didn't ring true to me.  I would have much rather happened that there was a twist in the end that would have tied things up better.  Either Simeon or Lettie should have been involved with the plot more closely in my not so humble opinion.  But I'm not a bestselling author so take that for what its worth ;)

Goodreads rating: 3 stars

Date read: April 9, 2014

#17 - Runaway Saint by Lisa Samson

I'd like to thank Lisa Samson, Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Publishing for the advanced reader copy of Runaway Saint in exchange for an honest review.

I was intrigued by the description of this book when I browsed it on Netgalley but, unfortunately it turned out to just not be my kind of book.  I found that I didn't connect with the characters in the story and found it hard to connect all of the different internal struggles to a central plot point and I wasn't blown away by the big reveal of what happened to Bel to make her run away - as much build up to the unsealing of her tight lips as there was in the first half, I found that it fell flat for me after that.

While I appreciate the opportunity to read this, it just wasn't a genre or story that captured my attention or made me feel the way it was supposed to make me feel.

Goodreads rating: 2 stars (if you enjoy the Christian Fiction genre, you will appreciate this book)